Composite last



A. A. MATTOS COMPOSITE LAST Aug. 27, 1968 Filed Dec. 28, 1966 UnitedStates Patent 3,398,415 COMPOSITE LAST Anthony A. Mattos, Bristol, R.I.,assignor to Marbill Company, Providence, R.I., a corporation of RhodeIsland Filed'Dec. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 605,416 3 Claims. (Cl. 12- 133)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A last for making footwear comprising a shortlast upon which shoes may be manufactured and an extension in the formof a leg attachable to the shoe last to provide a composite last uponwhich boots may be manufactured.

Background of the invention The manufacturer of rubber footwear iscalled upon to make both boots and shoes and therefore he has to keep aninventory of lasts for both purposes so that in effect there isduplication of lasts in every size for boots and shoes. The boot lastsare large, comprised of an aluminum alloy and hence quite expensive, andto maintain a large inventory of these boot lasts in addition to theshoe lasts represents a loss of capital for other uses and the necessityfor maintaining a large storage space.

Summary The principal objects of this invention are to eliminate suchduplication of lasts, together with the cost factor and storage problemand this is accomplished herein by utilizing in combination with aconventional shoe last an extension adapted to be attached thereto toconvert the shoe last to a bootlast. The aforesaid extension (boot leg)has a lower end which corresponds substantially in cross-sectional areato the top of the shoe last and there is means on the lower end of theextension and the top of the neck of the shoe last interengageable tohold them together on the one hand to permit manufacture of boots and toenable separation on the other hand to permit manufacture of shoes. Theattaching means are holes in the top of the neck of the shoe last andpins at the lower end of the extension adapted to be frictionally fittedinto the holes. The extension may be made of any suitable material,preferably wood which is light in weight and inexpensive. Optionally,the extension may be made in two or more sections provided withinterengageable attaching means to provide for short, medium or long legboots.

The term shoe last as employed herein is intended to cover any kind oflast upon which a foot covering is made as distinguished from a lastupon which a boot is made.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing a shoe last and an extension adapted tobe secured to the shoe last to form a boot last;

FIG. 2 is an elevation taken from the left side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the shoe last and the extension engaged toform a boot last;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the top of the shoe last at the neck;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the lower end of the extension;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of an alternative form of extension made up oftwo sections to enable making boot legs of ditferent lengths; and

FIG. 7 is an elevation of still another form of extension made up ofthree sections.

Referring to the drawings (FIG. 1) there is shown a 3,398,415 PatentedAug. 27, 1968 shoe last 10 provided with a neck 12 having an upper flatsurface 14 containing a hole 16.

The shoe last 10 is comprised of metal, for example, an aluminum alloyand is designed to be mounted on a jack or other pin support byengagement of the hole 16 in the neck therewith to support and/ortransport the last from operation to operation during normal manufactureof footwear.

In accordance with this invention, the shoe last 10 is adapted to beconverted by addition of an extension 18 to a boot last 20 asillustrated in FIG. 3. The lower end of the extension has a fiat surface22 corresponding substantially in area to the upper fiat surface 14 atthe top of the shoe last. The sides of the extension are uniformly flatand substantially parallel and the front and back edges are rounded anddiverge from the lower end upwardly toward the upper end according toconventional boot leg design. The extension constitutes a boot leg lastupon which the leg of a boot is formed.

A pair of attaching pins 26 are fixed in the lower end of the boot legextension 18 and these pins are adapted to be frictionally engagedwithin holes 24 in the neck of the shoe last. Preferably a lip 28 isprovided at the lower end of the extension which projects downwardlyover the forward side of the neck of the shoe last as illustrated inFIG. 3.

Optionally, the boot leg extension 18, as shown in FIG. 6, may be madeof two parts 18a and 18b secured to each other by means of pins 26a atthe lower end of the part 18a, fitted into holes 24a in the upper end ofthe part 18b. This two-part construction provides for making boots ofshort and long lengths. A three-part extension may be employed toprovide for short, medium and long length boots.

The boot leg extension 18 is, in the preferred form, comprised of wood;for example, it may be fabricated of plywood or the like. This providesfor lightness, enabling shaping or shaving with a knife or other cuttinginstrument when necessary to fit it exactly to the shoe last, andkeeping the cost to a minimum. Optionally, the boot leg extension may bemade of any suitable material such as molded paper stock, plastic,aluminum alloy, etc.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the shoe last can be continued tobe used as such without having suffered any disadvantage in itscombination with the extension and by the simple expedient ofmaintaining extensions which may be applied to the shoe lasts an equalnumber of boot lasts may 'be provided without the extra cost formaintaining an independent stock of boot lasts.

While the composite last herein illustrated is designed especially forthe manufacture of footwear comprised of rubber and equivalent sheetmaterial which is laid onto the last and vulcanized or cured thereon, itis intended that the composite last may be used for the manufacture offootwear of any kind and/or material and according to any method ofmanufacture.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mold assembly comprising a shoe last, a neck at the top of the lastcontaining a thimble hole by means of which the last may be mounted on ajack or the like for a shoe making operation, a boot leg extensionhaving a lower end corresponding substantially in area to the neck ofthe shoe last for engagement with the neck of the shoe last, means atthe lower end of the boot leg extension and at the neck of the shoe lastinterengageable to hold the last and boot leg extension assembled for aboot making operation, and a lip at the forward side of the boot leg 3extension extending downwardly therefrom into engagement with theforward side of the neck of the last.

2. A composite mold comprising a shoe last and an extension in the formof a leg last detachably attached to the shoe last and providing inconjunction therewith a boot l'ast, said leg last comprising twosections, one of which surmounts the other, and means connecting thesections of the leg last.

3. A composite mold comprising a shoe last and an extension in the formof a leg last detachably attached to the shoe last and providing inconjunction therewith a boot last, said leg last being comprised ofthree sections,

and means detachably connecting the sections to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,066,049 7/1913 Redin .Q 12-12351,627,661 5/1927 Morrill Q; 18-46 1,758,706 5/1930 Kelnhoter 12-'--1331,322,467 11/1919 Powell 12-133 X PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Exdminer.

